A spiritual Blog

Month: May 2020

“The serpent was chosen as the head of the reptilian family. Serpent worship in some form has permeated nearly all parts of the earth. The serpent mounds of the American Indian; the carved stone snakes of Central and South America; the hooded cobras of India; Python, the great snake of the Greeks; the sacred serpents of the Druids; … the mystic serpent of Orpheus; the snakes at the oracle of Delphi twining themselves around the tripod upon which the Pythian priestess sat, the tripod itself being in the form of twisted serpents. … All these bear witness to the universal veneration in which the snake was held. In the ancient Mysteries the serpent-entwined staff was the symbol of the physician. The serpent-wound staff of Hermes the emblem of the medical profession. Among nearly all these ancient peoples the serpent was accepted as the symbol of wisdom or salvation. The antipathy which Christianity feels towards the snake is based upon the little-understood allegory of the Garden of Eden.

“The serpent is true to the principle of wisdom, for it tempts man to the knowledge of himself. Therefore, the knowledge of self resulted from man’s disobedience to the Demiurgus, Jehovah. How the serpent came to be in the garden of the Lord after God had declared that all creatures which he had made during the six days of creation were good has not been satisfactorily answered by the interpreters of Scripture. The tree that grows in the garden is the spinal fire; the knowledge of the use of that fire is the gist of the great serpent.” ~Manly P Hall

Serpent and Snake

It is true that serpents or snakes are found in a surprisingly large number of symbols used by ancient mystery schools, medical schools, and schools of philosophy. I don’t think it is accurate to say that until Christianity made them symbols of evil that snakes and serpents were always good. Even in ancient times, there were both good and bad serpents.

One of the best known of these ancient snake symbols is Ouroboros. This symbol originated in ancient Egypt and is a symbol of Alchemy. Before the symbol was adopted by Alchemists, it was considered a symbol for renewal or the cyclical nature of life. It shows a snake biting its own tail forming a circle. The earliest copy of it is found in a shrine at the tomb of Tutankhamen. In this case, it is said to represent the beginning and end of time, which is a curious idea. Apparently, the ancient Egyptians knew that time was not permanent but part of the illusion of the physical universe.

In ancient Greece, where much was copied from their friends in Egypt, the symbol of Asclepius, the physician who was considered the god of healing, used as his symbol a staff with a snake wrapped around it.

As Hall notes, many other ancient civilizations had snake symbols in various places that showed the serpent (or snake) as a beneficial thing. But that changed with Christianity.

Evil Serpent or Snake

It is curious, I think, that Christianity is credited with making the snake a symbol of evil, yet that is based on a tale in the Bible that is in the Old Testament and predates Christianity. Specifically, it is the serpent that tempts Adam and Eve to do evil, which is to say, disobey God. But Hall says they have it all wrong.

In Hall’s opinion, the restrictions on eating from the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” was a rule of the false god, the Demiurge as he is known in Gnosticism. So by this logic, Adam and Eve were not doing evil at all. This interpretation, however, does not explain why they got bounced out of Paradise, home of the real God, and send to the realm of matter where the Demiurge reigns. Why would violators of the Demiurge’s rules be sent to his realm for the violation? It makes no sense to me, so I can’t agree with Hall on this point.

It is common practice for demons, devils, servants of the Demiurge, to make themselves appear as something good such as an angel or a saint. It is logical then they one would appear as a serpent to trick Adam and Eve if it knew that Adam and Eve considered the serpent a beneficial symbol. SO I think the allegorical tale recorded in the Bible is reasonably accurate. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a symbol of materialism. It is a symbolic name for the material sun. Looking at it gave Adam and Eve knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge is generally considered a good thing, but it isn’t always. Some years ago, many were quite angry with a writer who published a book giving people instructions on how to make homemade bombs. That is an example of evil knowledge and it is something the real God didn’t want Adam and Eve to have. Once they had knowledge of evil in their minds, they were automatically forced out of Heaven where only good can exist. They were not chased out by angels except as having those angels represent the natural forces created by God that automatically control his realm and keep it good and clean, free of evil. So this is one case where the demon disguised as a snake was truly evil.

“Let not things future trouble thee. For if necessity so require that they come to pass, thou shalt (whensoever that is) be provided for them with the same reason, by which whatsoever is now present, is made both tolerable and acceptable unto thee. All things are linked and knitted together. And the knot is sacred, neither is there anything in the world, that is not kind and natural in regard of any other thing, or, that hath not some kind of reference and natural correspondence with whatsoever is in the world besides. For all things are ranked together, and by that decency of its due place and order that that each particular does observe, they all occur together to the making of one and the same cosmos or world: as if you said, a comedy piece, or an orderly composition. For all things throughout, there is but one and the same order; and through all things, one and the same God, the same substance, the same law. There is one common reason, and one common truth, that belongs to all reasonable creatures, for neither is there save one perfection of all creatures that are of the same kind, and partakers of the same reason.” ~Marcus Aurelius

Future Trouble

Worrying about the future serves no purpose. That is the primary message of Aurelius in this “meditation”. He is saying that when you think about possible future events, future trouble, you are mixing apples and oranges. You are looking at the future event while considering how to handle it with your knowledge and abilities of today. He is saying that such an approach is bound to result in worries and concerns over future trouble when it shouldn’t. By the time the future event arrives, your skills, abilities, and knowledge will have changed. Events change as we change, and vice-versa. Continue reading “Future Trouble Has Future Solutions”→

“Honor a physician with the honor due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him: for the Lord hath created him. For of the most High cometh healing, and he shall receive honour of the king. The skill of the physician shall lift up his head: and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration. The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them. Was not the water made sweet with wood, that the virtue thereof might be known? And he hath given men skill, that he might be honored in his marvelous works. With such doth he heal men, and taketh away their pains. Of such doth the apothecary make a confection; and of his works there is no end; and from him is peace over all the earth, My son, in thy sickness be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole. Leave off from sin, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all wickedness. Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour; and make a fat offering, as not being. Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him: let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him. There is a time when in their hands there is good success. For they shall also pray unto the Lord, that he would prosper that, which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life. He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician.” ~Ecclesiasticus

Honor The Physician

This idea may not sound too appealing these days. It was written in a time when a physician was a healer, not a vendor of drugs and surgical procedures. These ancient physicians were only interested in keeping their patients as healthy as possible, rather than keeping them chronically sick and addicted to prescription drugs. As we are currently dealing with a pandemic, and not doing a very good job of it, I thought this would be a good subject to blog about.

Asclepius

Asclepius was such a renowned physician that he was considered a god, although he was, in fact, a man. He was claimed to be the son of the Greek god Apollo and a mortal woman named Coronis. His legend grew to the point where it was claimed that he was such a great healer that he could actually bring the dead back to life. In reality, he did have a healing center where he healed many. It was also a spiritual center where he taught soul development as well. The physicians of those times knew that the care of the body alone wasn’t enough. You also had to care for the mind and the spirit to have a truly healthy person. Continue reading “Physician Healing in a Time of Pandemic”→

“Error and Ignorance Enter Human History
Let us come back to the rulers of whom we spoke, that we might present an explanation of them. For when the seven rulers were cast from their heavens down upon the earth, they created for themselves angels, many demonic angels, to serve them. But these demons taught humankind many errors with magic and potions and idolatry, and shedding of blood, and altars, and temples, and sacrifices, and libations to all the demons of the earth, having as their co-worker fate, who came into being according to the agreement by the gods of injustice and justice. And thus when the world came into being, it wandered astray in distraction throughout all time. For all the people who are on the earth served the demons from the creation until the consummation of the age—both the angels of justice and the people of injustice. Thus the world came to be in distraction and ignorance and stupor. They all erred, until the appearance of the true human. Enough for you to this point. Next we shall consider our world so that we might complete the discussion of its structure and its government in a precise manner. Then it will be clear how belief in hidden things, which have been apparent from the foundation to the consummation of the age, came about.” ~On the Origin of the World

Error and Ignorance

Error and ignorance are nearly the same things as it is only with ignorance that people make errors. Some will insist that it is not true, but only because they say people do things that they know is wrong. That is true, but those people are still in ignorance. They may have been told by parents, teachers, priests, etc. that something is wrong, but they don’t truly accept that it is if they continue to do it anyway.

Rulers of Error and Ignorance

The rulers of error and ignorance are the fallen angels, devils, demons, or the Demiurge. Which name you choose to use for them doesn’t matter. The point is that they are the creators of the material world, not God. And as such, they were, and still are, the rulers of this realm. God only lets them go so far, but they are still controlling this level of the multi-verse to a large degree. They rule in error and ignorance because their ignorance allowed them to think they could create just as well as God could since they were His creations. But the creation is never as great as the creator. Because of this ignorance, they created a land of error.

They created a realm ruled by death, disease, greed, and destruction. Nothing is permanent here. All beings are subject to be eaten by other beings. All beings must eat other beings to survive in this realm of error. Fools think that is the way it should be. They too are living in error and ignorance.

In the dimensions created by the True God, there is no death, no disease, no want, no greed. All spirits live forever, never age, and eat only Divine Light. We can do that too if we make the effort. The problem for most is that it will take generations to accomplish and too many are unwilling to sacrifice now for the benefit of their grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

Shedding of Blood, Altars, and Sacrifice

One of the great ways the fallen angels promote themselves and their error and ignorance is through false religions. They know they are not really gods, but they love to promote themselves as such. But you can know that any god that demands blood sacrifice is a false god. Use your brain. Why would the Real God need blood sacrifice? It makes no sense whatsoever to think that God could benefit from such a horrid concept. But a false god can, a demonic god that can use the life force in blood to keep itself alive longer. That is why they ask for sacrifices, devotions, and unquestionable obedience. The real God wants obedience too, but with truth and knowledge given willingly to those who open themselves up to it, and make the effort to awaken their spiritual faculties through which they can gain that spiritual truth and knowledge. They want God on their terms, not His as if they were more important than God.

Belief in Hidden Things

The quote seems to imply in one section that this world is doomed to remain in error and ignorance forever. Look a little closer, though, and you will see there is a ray of hope. It tells us those who believe in hidden things can be saved, and the world can be saved with them. But this is misleading. It is not a mere belief that makes it happen. Many believe in the shedding-blood nonsense listed above. That doesn’t save them or anyone else, except the demons. What we need to believe is that God wants to save us. We need to believe that if we work for it, He will help. But we must want it, and work for it. It’s not going to just be handed to us. We shouldn’t believe a lot of common tales about Heave, Hell, and the afterlife. Instead, we must awaken our spiritual faculties so we can learn about the spiritual realm through direct contact and communication with them. We don’t just believe what others tell us in error and ignorance. We believe that we can learn the truth for ourselves.